


gin & ginger

by deftbones



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, bartender / bar au, lots of language of course, mentions of post malone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-01-21 16:03:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12461163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deftbones/pseuds/deftbones
Summary: wonwoo works at a dingy dive bar, and jeonghan likes to visit him. a lot.





	1. prologue: carbonated piss water

**Author's Note:**

> so uhhhh i've wanted to write something like this for awhile due to this actually being my job and doing this day in and day out and i've realised from the outside looking in, the whole scene can be quite a hoot and a holler so i figured it might be pretty neat to put it on paper. or uh... screen.

"whatcha drinkin?"

"you already know what I drink."

"yeah, I do," wonwoo snaps back, playfully narrowing his eyes at jeonghan across the bar as he pulls a bottle of gin out of his well and reaches for the soda gun. gin and ginger ale: jeonghan's consistent drink of choice. rarely does he stray away from this combination; and if he does, he likely doesn't remember.

"fuckin tell mingyu again too, for the one billionth time, the fucker always gets it wrong."

wonwoo flashes jeonghan a shit-eating grin. "I bet he hands you a gin and tonic every time."

"yeah, he does! just because everyone else drinks carbonated piss water doesn't mean I do." jeonghan glances around the bar, arms crossed in front of him on the bartop. "christ, if you're gonna treat me like a regular at least get my fuckin drink right."

wonwoo laughs out loud at jeonghan's disgruntled rant, topping off jeonghan's gin and ginger with a little extra splash of gin. jeonghan watches in sudden satisfaction, a smug smile spreading across his face.

"you love me so much."

"you're absolutely right," wonwoo coos as he places jeonghan's drink in front of him. jeonghan's hand is ready; as soon as the drink hits the beverage napkin, he slings a $10 bill in wonwoo's direction.

wonwoo sighs at the bill. "you know it's only five bucks."

jeonghan's lips curl wider. "i know."

wonwoo glares at jeonghan from behind the bar. jeonghan glares back, leaning back in his chair with drink in hand.

silence.

"do you want the 100% fuckin tip or not?"

wonwoo chuckles, reaching out and taking the ten off of the bartop. "you treat me so well."

jeonghan exhales into his drink as it hits his lips, and speaks into the rim. "you have no idea."

\--

most nights start and end with jeonghan. he was wonwoo's first regular, a couple years back, when wonwoo started at the dingy dive bar he calls home. set in a rather small brick building, it's a speakeasy type: dim lighting, mostly candlelit, a vast selection of pricey liquor and a fancy cocktail menu that jeonghan swears he's never even looked at. the bartenders dress in dark formal, suspenders and ties, to fit the Prohibition era-type feel to the place. it's cozy, it's a little run down, and jeonghan fell in love the first minute he ever walked in the door. he's back almost every day since, and mostly for one reason.

he swears he doesn't have a crush.

that's what he says. sure, he feels a little flutter in his heart when he walks in and sees wonwoo behind the bar; but they aren't friends. he's a guest. wonwoo's a bartender. it's a customer - employee relationship that doesn't go beyond only slightly deep conversations when it's slow. jeonghan usually stays until close, and by law he can no longer be in the building, but this draws wonwoo out with him as they share a cigarette on the sidewalk outside, mumbling to each other as they watch the downtown skyline flicker in the 2am darkness, until wonwoo has to return inside and begin the closing process.

it's comforting, to say the least. it's become a routine to jeonghan; if not a crutch. relying on someone is super-totally-not jeonghan. at all. nope. no way.

and so, like this, days fade in and out like waves on the shoreline, wonwoo seeing jeonghan and jeonghan sometimes seeing wonwoo. when it's not wonwoo, it's one of the other bartenders, such as: mingyu, the doofus newbie; seungcheol, the lax bar manager; jihoon, the perpetually angry second-in-command; joshua, the sweetie with a mad eye for mixology; or seokmin, the shoe-shining barback. all of them know jeonghan's name, and his order by heart (except mingyu), and he gets cheers and whoops and hollers from behind the bar whenever he strolls in. I guess that's what happens when you tip at least 30% every time: the bartenders come to love you.

but jeonghan reasons that's not the factor of why wonwoo has taken such a liking to him; not in the sense of, "you're a regular and you're cool," but jeonghan senses there's a gravitation; a pull about him that brings wonwoo circling back over every time.

or maybe that's him being delusional. he's not sure.

and jeonghan's favourite nights are fridays and saturdays: these days are when 4 or 5 of these assholes find themselves behind the bar, take a couple shots, and then the bar gets busy and packed and jeonghan listens to them all shriek along to "congratulations" by post malone blaring over the loudspeakers, after they bicker amongst each other and crack jokes that would turn a grandmother pale.

this is the way of life here; and jeonghan feels like he's almost a part of it.

almost.


	2. tully

it falls on one particular friday night, when the bar is packed and jeonghan is perched in his favourite chair, where the bartop meets the brick wall and he can lean back against it as he sips on his gin and ginger and watch the shitshow unfold.

wonwoo is swamped with craft cocktails on his side of the bar, where jeonghan frequents: he's got 6 glasses lined up on the bartop and is slinging two shakers at once, the sound of ringing ice filling the bar over the sounds of drunk patrons. he strains the bar's spin on a moscow mule and a mint julep into two seperate glasses, sparing jeonghan a glance as he does so. jeonghan gives him a sympathetic smile, and wonwoo looks down with something like a blush growing on his face.

or maybe that's just the liquor.

this was jeonghan's escape: 5 days a week at an office job running numbers, 9 to 5, and afterwards he almost always wound up here. it wasn't without the stress, though; being on the guest side of the bar for jeonghan was almost as bad as being on the backside when watching wonwoo. wonwoo didn't seem stressed out, but jeonghan always got this vibe out of the younger boy when it was slammed: it was a rushed feeling, his brain on edge, and wonwoo's only consolation out of the lines of $9 craft cocktails was jeonghan's simple gin and ginger.

wonwoo's slinging cocktails until midnight, when his schedule cuts him off and he's allowed to clock out and enjoy a couple drinks of his own. he joins jeonghan in the empty seat next to him, which makes jeonghan's stomach do backflips. before they really engage in conversation, joshua, one of the four closers (along with seokmin and mingyu and seungcheol, just his luck) floats over and flings a bev nap onto the bar in front of wonwoo. they smile at each other, and joshua greets jeonghan with a hearty handshake.

"how are you, man?"

jeonghan prefers to keep it simple. "I'm doing fairly well, how about yourself?"

joshua nods, leaning up against the counter of the backbar. "that's good to hear, I'm doing very good myself." he gestures at jeonghan's half-empty gin and ginger. "would you like another?"

jeonghan lifts up his drink and gives it a swirl. "sure."

joshua turns his attention to a beaten wonwoo, dark hair flying in every direction with his suspenders hanging at his sides. "what about for you, dickhead?"

wonwoo answers with a chortle. "just a jager bomb, and one for this guy too," he says as he jabs a thumb at jeonghan. joshua nods, grabbing two bomb glasses and a rocks glass and setting them on the bar top.

wonwoo purses his lips. "three bombs, if you want one." joshua pauses in the middle of filling the rocks glass with ice, meeting eyes with wonwoo, then slowly grabs one more bomb glass and lines it up silently. wonwoo chuckles.

joshua finishes up the jager bombs and jeonghan's drink, dispersing them all amongst each respective person. joshua keeps one jager bomb to himself, and they all cheers before downing the bombs in one go. joshua's a bit slow on his, after the several other bombs he's been bought tonight (the guests love joshua; they'll buy him any shot he wants) but he manages and takes the empty bomb glasses away to the dirty side of the three-sink compartment at the barback station. seokmin, the barback, bent over the sinks as he fills them with fresh water, looks over at jeonghan and wonwoo, and spares them a nod with a wide-set grin. 

wonwoo settles in his chair and runs a hand through his hair, which doesn't do much to soothe it. he turns to jeonghan, eyes sleepy. "what are you up to tonight?"

jeonghan takes a hearty sip of his old gin and ginger, almost finishing it off so he can start on his new glass, and answers after swallowing. "just here, I guess. I'm off tomorrow, so I can be up as late as I want."

wonwoo nods. "that's nice. I'm off tomorrow too."

jeonghan hums in response.

and it's like this.

awkward, but comforting. nothing much to talk about, really. they aren't close like that, and neither of them like intruding or prying or prodding. so it's small talk, an entry-level conversation every time, 

but this does not last for long.

mingyu finds his way over and wonwoo orders two more shots from Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome for him and jeonghan. seungcheol comes over to say hi a couple moments later, and wonwoo orders two more.

now to wonwoo, three bombs in 15 minutes isn't necessarily a big dent in the head. for jeonghan, however, this is far too much after his night of gin and gingers, but he won't say no to free liquor. especially not from wonwoo. he downs them all in succession with the off-the-clock bartender sitting next to him, feeling somewhat honoured, and then their conversations get far more interesting.

jeonghan starts prying. he asks wonwoo what side of town he lives on (downtown, just like jeonghan); and if he lives alone (he does); and if he has a girlfriend or boyfriend or a significant other at all (he doesn't, and wonwoo doesn't seem to mind the specification past girlfriend and jeonghan feels his mind race at this); and then finally, jeonghan invites wonwoo out for a cigarette once wonwoo has gotten an actual drink that's not just a bomb: a whiskey ginger, with tullamore dew. tully, as wonwoo lovingly calls it.

wonwoo agrees to a smoke break. he desperately needs one, after all.

they exit the bar's front door and step out onto the sidewalk, where two tables stand so guests can set their drinks down for their darling cigarettes. it's far quieter than the bar, the blaring indie pop muffled in the background, and now they are left alone to the dying sounds of the city. the door guy, junhui, is bored out of his mind since no one had been outside to keep him company, and there are no guests for IDs to check, so he comes over and they all share cigarettes (wonwoo smokes menthol, jeonghan notes for maybe the 100th time), and talk and talk. mostly about the festivals happening in town, the concerts, the new breweries and craft beers. 

"jeonghan," wonwoo starts after the conversation almost dies, taking a drag of his cigarette inbetween, "you've probably told me 800 times, but what do you do for a living?"

"boring office job," jeonghan replies, ashing his cigarette, ignoring the fact that wonwoo had to ask after jeonghan mentions his shitty job every other day. it might sting if he dwells on it. 

"right," wonwoo nods, smoke flowing out of his mouth at every syllable, "I knew that."

silence comes. wonwoo feels ashamed that his liquor-racked brain couldn't come to that conclusion, but he's sure jeonghan doesn't really care, right?

"well, uh..." wonwoo flicks his cigarette butt onto the ground, taking the last sip of his tully ginger, and looks up at jeonghan with the most beet-red face the older had ever seen. "you wanna come over to mine?"

jeonghan is stunned, quiet. not in apprehension, no; but in sheer utter, pleasant, surprise.

"I mean, uh..." wonwoo starts to ramble, hands fidgeting, "not like, you know, but just to hang out, like, as fr--"

"I'd love to," jeonghan interrupts, stamping out his own cigarette with his foot. "where do you live?"

junhui sighs and returns to his post at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if the lingo is a little bit out of hand lol but yeah!! i'm really having fun with this so far
> 
> also sorry to all the innocent gentleman josh stans jdlsfjds
> 
> i'm gonna try to update as much as possible which shouldn't be an issue but yeah! this is probably gonna be a slow burner unless i get bored


	3. blackout

the night gets colder and colder as wonwoo and jeonghan tread up the brick-laid streets and unsteady crosswalks of the city, working closer to wonwoo's apartment building a few blocks from the bar. they pass rival bars still bustling with customers, galleries and eateries that stay open as long as the city refuses to sleep. they exchange very little, and they both catch themselves stumbling and nearly tripping over the uneven concrete blocks of the sidewalks until wonwoo comes to a slow pace near a very large apartment building. the entrance is intricate and well-lit, and wonwoo uses a key card to open the door into the extravagant lobby.

jeonghan is in awe. he wondered how much wonwoo's rent was, and how much he made at his bar job, to live here. the lobby is devoid of people, and wonwoo's voice echoes as he leads jeonghan over to the elevator down a set of stairs, "I live on the fourth floor."

jeonghan nods quietly, and the elevator doors open. they both step inside, and the doors close.

wonwoo looks over at jeonghan after he presses the appropriate floor number, and jeonghan looks up from the elevator floor.

wonwoo's smile is shy. jeonghan smiles at him, too, and then wonwoo huffs in a short remnant of laughter until he bursts out into a fit of giggles as the elevator starts upward, jeonghan laughing along with him until he manages out, "what are you giggling about?"

wonwoo shakes his head, laughter dying, now looking everywhere else but jeonghan, and says, "nothing, nothing."

jeonghan laughs more, loud and bright in the elevator as it dings past the second floor. "nothing, really?"

wonwoo nods now, his smile faint, and jeonghan doesn't pry any further as the elevator reaches the fourth floor. the doors open, and wonwoo leads the way down the hotel-like hallway to a door somewhere halfway down.

wonwoo fumbles at his keys, dropping them once, and jeonghan holds back a laugh, and eventually manages to open his door, stepping sideways so jeonghan may enter first.

wonwoo's apartment is small, but cozy. jeonghan can tell it's fairly new, hardwood floors, nice furniture and appliances, and it's well-kept. there's barely any clutter except for the large and extremely full bookshelf in the living room, where books adorn every inch and even the floor around it. jeonghan takes it all in, and wonwoo makes his way to the kitchen were he snatches a bottle of vodka off of his also very extensive liquor shelf and grabs for two shot glasses nearby. jeonghan turns his attention back to wonwoo as the other expertly pours two shots on the kitchen counter, and inches one to jeonghan.

jeonghan snorts, but takes the shotglass in delicate fingers, and looks up at wonwoo.

wonwoo's gaze on him is mysteriously intense, for a split second, until he realises he's caught in the act and turns his head back to his shot, where he lifts it up to cheers jeonghan.

they down them, and it hits jeonghan in the throat the wrong way, and he gulps and hisses at the absence of a chaser to remove the sting. wonwoo shakes his head as jeonghan sets his own glass down, and pours them two more.

"jesus christ, you're gonna kill me," jeonghan chokes out.

wonwoo laughs out loud, tilting his head back so it rings in his kitchen. "I'm not trying to!"

jeonghan waves his hand, still swallowing the vodka out of his mouth, "I know, I know, but christ."

"quit bitching and take your shot." wonwoo almost flings it in jeonghan's direction.

"we just did one!"

"you sound like a quitter," wonwoo teases, casting his eyes in jeonghan's direction as if it were a challenge.

jeonghan frowns dramatically, and doesn't even cheers wonwoo as he downs his shot in a heartbeat. it's much better the second time, he still almost gags but keeps it together, and wonwoo gapes at him as jeonghan sets his glass down.

"you didn't even wait for me, asshole."

" _quit bitching and take your shot,_ " jeonghan mocks back in wonwoo's signature deep voice, and wonwoo pouts for a split second before taking his as well.

after setting his glass down on the kitchen counter, wonwoo turns and backs up against the counter, facing jeonghan, and crosses his arms. he tilts his head back, and jeonghan can't help but notice how defined his adam's apple was in the pale skin of his neck, bobbing slightly as wonwoo exhales and closes his eyes.

jeonghan can't help himself. there's no filter for when he's like this. "you're fucking cute."

wonwoo opens his eyes, and sets his chin down, staring right into jeonghan's face. his expression is unreadable. "am I?"

jeonghan shook his head with immediate regret. "sorry, that just came out."

wonwoo smiles, almost mischieviously, "no, don't apologise. now I know how you feel about me."

jeonghan's heart sinks, despite wonwoo's slightly skewed words of encouragement, feeling ashamed and feeling stupid, knowing he probably just fucked up their whole vague friendship because he couldn't keep his shit together. "I can just leave--"

"oh shut up, you're not going anywhere," wonwoo steps closer to jeonghan, so close, swaying back and forth and searching jeonghan's face with his dark eyes, and jeonghan's heart almost stops. he swears it does, but wonwoo doesn't move.

there is silence, for a moment, a very unsteady and open silence that leaves jeonghan almost shrinking back from wonwoo's gaze and physical prowess. wonwoo leans close, so close, almost at contact with jeonghan's face, and for a single moment jeonghan exercised the most self-control he's ever had to in his life, until wonwoo steps away backwards toward the counter.

jeonghan exhales, and wonwoo reaches for the vodka bottle.

"let's go watch a movie or something," wonwoo says as he grabs jeonghan's wrist with his free hand (jeonghan almost yelps), and nearly drags him towards the couch that's stationed in front of a large flatscreen TV with game consoles adorning the same stand it's perched on.

wonwoo fiddles with the TV remote until he's flying through netflix selections, mumbling and grumbling as he tries to figure out what to watch, taking sips of vodka out of the bottle and then passing it to jeonghan, who sips and passes it back, then it goes like this:

jeonghan doesn't remember what wonwoo puts on. he doesn't remember what happens at all, really. his memory fades from him, in what you might call a "blackout";

but he does remember one very important thing about what happened.

he remembers soft lips melting against his, a hand threading through his hair, and harsh, long kisses that trailed down his face into his neck where they became bites of purple and black. he remembers falling asleep on the same couch with his ear against a soft heartbeat, and a hand rubbing his back into a drunken sleep.

that is all jeonghan recognises before his entire world goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BLOOP


	4. unnaturally short bartender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry for the slow update... this holiday season is tough. i've already got a head start on the next chapter so it shouldn't be long before another update!

jeonghan awakes to a smooth massaging sensation on his back. he struggles to open his eyes, and as soon as he does, light strikes him in the face like a brick.

"good morning, sleepyhead."

jeonghan groans in response, shifting slightly. he lays with his head on wonwoo's chest, hand atop the gentle rise and fall of wonwoo's breathing. wonwoo chuckles, jostling jeonghan lightly, and jeonghan moves his head to look up at the other; who kisses him upon the forehead when he's in range.

it is a peaceful moment. there is no awkwardness, no feeling of regret. they're both hungover, tired, and confused, but content.

it takes either of them awhile to speak, but jeonghan does first.

"did we..."

"no," wonwoo answers softly.

silence.

"we made out," wonwoo continues.

"good," jeonghan mumbles, snuggling further into wonwoo's warmth. wonwoo draws him in closer with a hand on his back, chuckling again.

"I think you're pretty cool and I'd like to see you again," jeonghan says in a burst of bravery.

"I'd like that," wonwoo replies. jeonghan's heart soars, and he feels on top of the world.

and they stay like this for awhile. heart to heart, voice to voice.

comfortable.

jeonghan stays. wonwoo eventually pries away to make breakfast. eggs with cheese, bacon, and fresh tomatoes on the side. jeonghan eats, they lay in and smile, and it's a warmth that jeonghan is not used to; but he invites it in.

he loves it. this feeling that he feels. it's not love, but it's something nearing close. the crush that comes to reality but it's not sour, not bitter.

it's a saturday, and jeonghan soaks in the fact that he doesn't have work, and neither does wonwoo. the younger convinces jeonghan to come back to the bar that evening, after they have a good giggle about jeonghan's hickeys ("how old are we, again?") and marathon a few episodes of stranger things while entwined on the couch. they walk the few short blocks back to the bar when it nears 6pm, when the sun begins setting on the cool winter city.

the bartender working happy hour is jihoon, who snickers at their entrance and jeonghan's bruised neck. wonwoo narrows his eyes at the unnaturally short bartender, who only laughs more.

wonwoo orders jager bombs, which only tastes like last night. jihoon does one with them, having forced to work the dreaded happy hour shift, which at most only granted a bartender $70 at a bar where most guests crawl in at night. he does his bomb quicker than the other two, muttering "I needed that" as a final cheers. wonwoo laughs after he swallows.

jeonghan orders his gin & ginger, and wonwoo his tully & ginger. the bar empty except for themselves, jihoon stays and chats for a bit on their side of the bar, where they had been stationed only hours before.

"so..." jihoon starts, leaning up against the back bar, the bar music playlist thudding softly in the loudspeakers with the punk sounds of Pennywise, "we're considering hiring another bartender."

wonwoo's head shoots up from where he was reading something on his phone.

"you know soonyoung, from the Pinwheel?"

"yeah," wonwoo replies. jeonghan, out of the loop, listens anyway.

"he just left Pinwheel, got tired of it. he came in here last night and talked a bit with seungcheol, and seungcheol's seriously considering bringing him in."

"he's a great bartender," wonwoo says, twirling his drink around on the bartop. "I've watched him at Pinwheel many times."

the Pinwheel. jeonghan knows of it, and he's found his way in a couple times when his coworkers have gone on a pub crawl in the dead of night and dragged him in. it's not unlike the bar they're sitting at now, the Prohibition feel rampant and the bartenders shaking $9 craft cocktails in suspenders and bowties, but jeonghan doesn't know enough about it to even guess who this "soonyoung" is.

"he is," jihoon agrees, nodding as he grabs three more bomb glasses despite wonwoo not ordering anything. "one of the best in the city."

"he'd be beneficial for us," jihoon continues, pouring jagermeister into the bomb glasses, "this winter season will be tough. it'd be nice to have backup, and if he proves he can handle it here, we'll keep him. we need to have one more on staff since our sales are going up."

wonwoo hums in contentment before answering. "we do need one more person. we can't all work 5-6 days a week."

"right," jihoon concludes, shoving the bottle of jagermeister back into the ice, eyes focused. "he can work happy hour and night shifts, so we can have some breaks."

"awesome," wonwoo nearly sighs in relief, taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm still talking it over with seungcheol, he'll probably start next week if we decide to bring him in," jihoon's voice gets louder as he walks to the coolers across the bar to grab a can of red bull off the shelf. "in the meantime, let's knock out this week as best we can." he nears closer, popping open the can with nimble fingers. 

he finishes off the jager bombs with a steady amount of red bull, and disperses two to jeonghan and wonwoo, and keeps one to himself. they raise the shots to jihoon's "cheers, motherfuckers," and down them in one swift go.

wonwoo keeps jeonghan at the bar for hours. they have an extra long smoke break outside, where they stand by themselves with the other door guy, minghao (who doesn't look very threatening, but could kick anyone's ass if he wanted to), and wonwoo keeps guard at the door when minghao runs inside for a piss.

jeonghan looks at wonwoo, when he exhales smoke out from his pretty pink lips, when he makes eye contact with the older and smiles shyly, and jeonghan feels his heart swell.

it might just be lust, and jeonghan knows this. the way wonwoo's thin body still ripples underneath his oversized hoodie he adorned for the cold weather, the way his adam's apple bobs when he swallows.

but jeonghan can't help but feel something more, even when he feels wonwoo does not.

but he does not know wonwoo's heart.

jeonghan, drunk as shit, looks at wonwoo guarding the door and says, "you're so damn cute." a blurt right out of an alcoholic trance.

wonwoo casts his eyes down at the concrete sidewalk, blushing visibly. and jeonghan doesn't need a verbal answer; that's all he needs. just him and wonwoo.

and when jeonghan slides over and places a slight peck on wonwoo's cheek, and the other almost leans into it; that's all he needs. wonwoo blushes harder, and jeonghan wonders how a man so brave can be so afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!


End file.
